Digital Intervention

Simplifying the Digital World

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Your new TV has arrived – Is YouTube TV right for you?

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That’s right – YouTube TV has launched it’s Live streaming TV service that could replace your cable service. Or can it? YouTube TV officially launched April 5th in 5 cities and surrounding areas. (I was able to sign up for the 30 Day Free Trial 25 miles outside New York City.) But since then they have opened it up to about 50 cities – see list here.

  • NY
  • LA
  • San Francisco Bay area
  • Philadelphia
  • Chicago

Do you think you can cut the cord? There’s more involved than you think when it comes to replacing your channels, but all in all I think we are being gien a good chance at cutting the cord with the cable industry.

Personally, I’m excited for this. It may not be perfect, and there my not be an abundant amount of channels, but moving forward, this is the model in which people will watch TV/movies/shows. YouTube TV has the potential to work well for all the cord cutters who don’t want an entire cable subscription. But it is one step and cost in the mix of media you will want – see article on media strategy. 

Users will have access to over 40 channels by default, but they can also add a few others for a few extra bucks, like Showtime. Anyone who wants to simply record their TV programs can do so via digital DVR, which comes with unlimited storage, so that’s cool. However, the biggest advantage that YouTube TV has over its competitors like DirectTV appears to be the reliability of the streaming, which certainly adds to its appeal.

youtube streaming tv

To get started with live streaming TV:

  • Check out tv.youtube.com today to start your free trial.
  • You can also sign up on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
  • If you’re not in one of the initial launch markets but want to find out when YouTube TV is coming to your area, you can sign up here.

Heres the stuff you get with a YouTube TV membership, you’ll get:

  • Live TV streaming from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, Fox Sports Networks, Comcast SportsNet and dozens more. YouTube TV gives you the best of live TV, from must-see shows like “Empire,” “The Voice,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Scandal,” to the live sports you want from the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NCAA. Based on where you live, you’ll get your local broadcast TV stations covering local sports and news. You’ll also get dozens of popular cable channels, including FX, USA, Disney Channel, Bravo, MSNBC, Fox News. And you can add Showtime or Fox Soccer Plus for an additional charge. In total, YouTube TV will give you more than 50 networks, listed below.
  • A cloud DVR, with no storage limits. With YouTube TV, your cloud DVR can record as many shows as you want, simultaneously, without ever running out of storage. You can keep each of your recordings for nine months.
  • TV when it matters, where it matters. You can watch YouTube TV on your phone, tablet or computer—and you can easily stream to your TV with a Google Chromecast or Chromecast built-in TV (we’ll be supporting even more connected TV devices later this year). And your cloud DVR goes with you, so you can stream your recordings on any device, whenever you want and wherever you go in the U.S.
  • YouTube Red Originals. With a YouTube TV membership, you can watch all of our YouTube Red Original series and movies right in the new YouTube TV app.
  • Six accounts included. You can share your YouTube TV membership with your family and roommates, and each account will receive its own unique recommendations and cloud DVR with no storage limits. Your household can watch up to three streams at a time.
  • More networks coming soon. We’re excited to announce that AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, WE tv, and BBC World News will be included soon at no additional charge. These networks will join Telemundo and others listed below as networks coming to YouTube TV soon after launch. This means you’ll be able to watch shows like “The Walking Dead,” “Doctor Who,” and your favorite telenovelas. And you’ll also be able to add Sundance Now or Shudder for an additional charge.


YouTube TV is Coming – Can You Cut the Cord with Cable?

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1 Billion hours of video consumed a day. Wow.

Competition in the streaming TV market is heating up. Google announced that it will launch a new service called YouTube TV in major cities in the United States over the next few months. “YES!”  Sign up here to be notified by YouTube.

“1 Billion hours a day is how much video we consume in a day.”

With an option like this, could you really “cut the cable” with cable TV? I’m thinking yes. It’s the best attempt, and next step to unraveling the cable companies that have strangled us for years. There are many critics of the new YouTube service, but in my opinion, it’s a great start. And personally, I’m damn close to cutting that cord. It’s almost not about the money anymore, it’s about being free of their silly charges.

Here is a quick combination of online services you could subscribe to that will get you what you watch. And I should note that if you watch a lot of TV channels, a lot of specialty channels, then this may not be for you. This is for the folks that watch general TV stations and movies. 

Purchase the following services:

  • YouTube service to get network stations and other notable stations (see list below)
  • Netflix or Amazon for movies 
  • Google Play, or iTunes for newer top-rated movies
  • Optional media:
    • Might be Hulu, or HBO
    • AMC app: If you’re a walking dead fan for instance, you can get older episodes on Netflix and the new ones are available for free on the AMC app.
YouTube stations included in service.

What does it cost?

The combination would cost $60 a month (optional items not included). And any missing channels like AMC or HGTV you can download their Apps and watch for free. Average monthly costs for FIOS or Comcast is about $75 per month. But then if you add Netflix and other premium movies you’re adding another $35, making the total $110 per month. One other perk with YouTube is that you get unlimited cloud storage (like DVR) for recording.

Here’s the YouTube quick facts and what you get:

YouTube TV will cost customers only $35 a month, which gets them 6 accounts, 3 of which can be used to stream live TV concurrently, and access to 40 different networks, including “ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, regional sports networks, and dozens of popular cable networks,” according to a recent entry on the official YouTube blog.

  • $35 a month
  • includes Youtube red
  • 6 accounts (only 3 streams at a time)
  • 40 channels

Each of the accounts will be personalized and utilize searching algorithms, similar to Netflix’s profile system. Users also gain access to YouTube Red original shows and an unlimited cloud DVR (1 per account) to record live TV.

Currently, other options on the market include: Dish’s Sling TV, which offers 2 basic packages for $20 and currently has around 764,000 subscribers, and Sony’s PlayStation Vue, with a monthly cost of $40 for 60 channels. Hulu is expected to launch a similar web TV offering sometime this year.

 

Susan Wojicki

Susan Wojicki, the CEO of YouTube, declared that this was the evolution of television, aiming to “give the younger generation the content that they love with the flexibility they expect,” able to watch YouTube TV on their computers, smartphones, tablets, or any device with a Google Chromecast. 

The habits and methods in which we consume TV/media is changing. And it’s changing rapidly. What’s changing in society is the fact that the younger generations care less and less about traditional TV. They would rather stream everything to their computer or phone. And, they are satisfied with what they get there, and less interested in network TV. Thus, a shift in the cable TV model. So it’s not just the generational gap but the way we consume – Mobile VS TV set.

youtube chart

YouTube TV Has Major Broadcasters On Board, But Still Lacks Selection

So here are the cons.

Plenty of cord-cutters or those who have never signed up for cable are likely to be satisfied. But there are some large gaps. For example, there’s nothing from Viacom, or Time Warner—no CNN or Discovery Channel, no TBS, and no TNT (YouTube is still in discussions with other partners). However, popular channels such as HBO and AMC will not be available at launch. Moreover, Google still needs to figure out deals with the network affiliate stations of major broadcasters in smaller cities, possibly implying that the service will only be launched in larger metropolitan areas to begin with. Overall, YouTube TV’s list of channels is significantly smaller than the 100+ channels AT&T offered under its $35 introductory pricing for DirecTV Now.

In addition to those gaps, the YouTube TV service is only available in markets where its existing cable partners have affiliates. So if you live in or near a number of major U.S. urban centers, you won’t be able to subscribe even if you want to. All of these caveats make YouTube’s service look a lot less like a cable-TV killer and a lot more like just a digital version of a not-so-great cable package. But like I said in the beginning, this is a start. And I believe a company the size of Google will wheel and deal and make it happen for most cord cutters. It will be interesting over the next couple years to see how watching TV changes.

 

 Heres a little how to video for cord cutting. This doesn’t include the YouTube option because it wasn’t announced yet. But where they mention getting a antennal for local TV stations, that is where you insert YouTube as an option.

Apple Unveils Eight New TV Watch Ads

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Apple invested a lot of time and money into their new TV ads. All the ads are in support of the Apple Watch and have some big star power to promote the Watch and new Apple TV ad “look”. Apple always has a unique “look and feel” to their ads and this time is no different. Take a look at 8 new ads featuring fitness, fashion and find.

New Apple Watch Ads
The “Climb” steps up the game.

The “Swap” ad has musician Leon Bridges demonstrating two of the Watch’s band options. And finally, the “Surprise” ad shows off the combination of HomeKit and Siri, and “Rain” promotes Jackadam’s “hyperlocal” weather app Dark Sky.


I had to Google these folks, but the “Find” ads has actress Chloë Sevigny who is trying to locate a missing iPhone.

The new ad “Chase” features musician and actor Nick Jonas, who tries to outdo a friend on a steps leaderboard. Golf stars rocker Alice Cooper, frustrated by his golf swing.



All eight spots are shot on a colorful background and are extremely short, lasting 15-16 seconds. These are quick TV ads but great for sharing online.

Apple is working on a new Apple Watch coming later this year, but the features are still unknown. The word is the overall design is not changing but will be much faster. We’ll see.

watch ad

American Idol Makes History

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Tonight is the last night for American Idol and after 15 years they have definitely left their mark on pop culture. I didn’t watch every season but it was the kind of show you could watch with the family and provided some fun competition. They also made a dent in social media and marketing, by engaging the audience to participate via phones, smartphones, Twitter and downloading from iTunes.

Paul Kai’s Slidely by Slidely Slideshow

American Idol engaged their audience in channels that hadn’t been used before. Voting through your phone and texting was unique and some uncharted territories. Conversations happened online during the live shows.

Text messaging was inspired by Idol.

american idol votingTexting wasn’t very popular when American Idol started using in 2003, on AT&T only, and the show is credited with helping to increase the popularity of texting.

american idol 2016American Idol Show Facts

The show’s original lineup featured cohosts Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman and a panel of judges consisting of former pop star Paula Abdul, music producer Randy Jackson, and British music executiveSimon Cowell. During the auditions the judges critiqued the performers in a predictable manner: Abdul’s comments were typically sympathetic, Jackson’s humorous, and Cowell’s biting.

american idol final season hostsThe show’s eighth season (2009) saw a number of other changes to the show’s formula, most notably the addition of a fourth judge, songwriter Kara DioGuardi. Judges were also given the power to directly influence the final rounds of competition with the “judges’ save rule,” which allowed the panel to override the votes of the viewing public once per season to give a deserving contestant a second chance. In August 2009 Abdul left the show when contract negotiations with American Idol producers broke down, and she was replaced by Ellen DeGeneres.

Losers

At the conclusion of the ninth season, in May 2010, Cowell left the program, and both DeGeneres and DioGuardi departed later that year. In later seasons Jackson was joined on the judging panel by such musicians as Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler (of Aerosmith), Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, and Harry Connick, Jr. In 2014, his last year on the show, Jackson moved into a mentorship role, leaving the judging to Urban, Lopez, and Connick. In 2015 it was announced that the show would end with its 15th season.

american-idol-winnersWinners

Several winners of the contest became recording sensations, most notably Kelly Clarkson, the winner of season one, and Carrie Underwood, the winner of season four. Other winners included Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen. Proving that success on the show was not necessarily a prerequisite to success in show business, Jennifer Hudson was voted off in season three but went on to win an Academy Award for her performance in Dreamgirls (2006), and Chris Daughtry, a finalist in season five, scored multiplatinum success with his hard rock band Daughtry. Adam Lambert, the runner-up in season eight, had success as a solo artist and also collaborated with the British rock band Queen, replacing deceased singer Freddie Mercury when the group performed live (as Queen + Adam Lambert).

Trent Harmon singing Chandelier, by Sia 

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